Digging with a FEL..

[texasjohn]

black rat, go ahead and get tooth bar....you'll wonder how you got along without it...many TBN threads discuss how to mount and use, just search them out.

 

[vtsnowedin]

If your going to dig full buckets of dirt all day you need to have your tractor fully ballasted as per it's loaders manual. Most of the implements you hang on the back are too light and a lot of ballast boxes and concrete barrels are still not enough. For example my 5045E needs 2000 lbs on the 3PH plus filled tires or wheel weights for heavy duty use (Digging or loading manure) . That takes the large size ballast box full of concrete. A 55 gallon drum full of concrete will only weight 1100. The width of the rear tires is not a problem and wider is better for safety. Just make one pass down the right side then the next down the left keeping the face your digging out wider then your rears. I loaded for years with a four foot wide bucket on a seven foot wide David Brown.
I too would save those bricks for road fill. push them into the wet spots in a foot thick layer then cover with six inches of gravel.

 

[clovergamecock]

Thanks! I think my rear tires are only about half full of water. Should that be more? I have my box blade on the back but yes I am getting a good bit of tire spin. Is there a way I can increase the ballast weight without having to buy a ballast attachment. The tooth bars are about $300 so that is about all in the budget for now.

For the road base. Are you all saing to crush the bricks and then spread? If so, what can I use to crush them? I have a 900' gravel driveway that gets holes in the same place everytime I fix them. These are in 2 turns so I am guessing it is the weight of the vehicle going around them? Having the well drillers trucks out here this weekend just made things worse!!!

 

[dex3361]

Keep in mind weight on the 3PH keep a portion of the weight off of the front axle much of the time. Think of it this way if you put to much weight on the 3PH the front wheels will lift off of the ground. No weight on the 3PH and enough weight in the FEL bucket and the rear wheels will lift off of the ground. The right combo lies somewhere in between.

 

[newbury]

Strap weight on the box blade. Concrete blocks for a starter, or a box of broken bricks . The further back without damaging the BB the better.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Thanks! I think my rear tires are only about half full of water. Should that be more? I have my box blade on the back but yes I am getting a good bit of tire spin. Is there a way I can increase the ballast weight without having to buy a ballast attachment. The tooth bars are about $300 so that is about all in the budget for now.

For the road base. Are you all saing to crush the bricks and then spread? If so, what can I use to crush them? I have a 900' gravel driveway that gets holes in the same place everytime I fix them. These are in 2 turns so I am guessing it is the weight of the vehicle going around them? Having the well drillers trucks out here this weekend just made things worse!!!

Properly filled tires are about 70% full. This covers all the metal with fluid but leaves an air pocket that allows the tire to flex. Covering the rim is important if your tires have calcium chloride in them for antifreeze. Not as important with rimguard ,the modern product. Again you owners manual will tell you how much weight you get from fluid filling your tires and the right amount of ballast to protect your front axle from excessive wear while doing heavy loader work.
If cost is a problem put on the heaviest thing you have and take smaller buckets and travel loaded as little as possible.
No need to crush the bricks. You can mix some sand with them and make a "cubist gravel" or just push them in in a thick layer and tread them in by driving over them with your tractor which will break some and lock them together. If your at the max grade you want, dig out a foot and a half of the failed soil that is there then add you bricks and gravel cap to get back to grade. If grade isn't critical just push the bricks into the mud and add your gravel on top raising the whole road and improving drainage. You might be able to dig off the top gravel you have and stockpile it then dig out and install the bricks then put the old gravel back on top.

 

[radioman]

Many good advice here -- my advice is going to be redudant - You can dig with the FEL - it just takes time and you can't exactly scoop up more dirt. I used my fel to dig a ramp down to where I need to use my BH since it wouldnt reach the depth I was aiming for. (20 ft deep with 6 ft BH reach.)
The hardest part is backing up the 45% ramp with a FEL full of dirt and it was all the way up to prevent dirt falling out. Talk about pucker factor all day long.

You cant have too much weight in the back. loaded tires and whatever you can put on the back for weight.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I looked up your L2800 on tractor data. 3PH will lift 1433lbs and the front loader will lift 1142 at the pins. A 55 gallon drum on the 3PH should be plenty for your tractor but check your loaders om to be sure.

 

[TripleR]

Excellent advice on which I cannot improve beyond my father in law paid to have some rip-rap buried before I found out about it and regretted it the rest of his life. We have used rip-rap as well as ricks for filler etc. on our farms and get it anytime we can.

 

[rbarker]

Many good advice here -- my advice is going to be redudant - You can dig with the FEL - it just takes time and you can't exactly scoop up more dirt. I used my fel to dig a ramp down to where I need to use my BH since it wouldnt reach the depth I was aiming for. (20 ft deep with 6 ft BH reach.)
The hardest part is backing up the 45% ramp with a FEL full of dirt and it was all the way up to prevent dirt falling out. Talk about pucker factor all day long.

You cant have too much weight in the back. loaded tires and whatever you can put on the back for weight.

WOW! Talk about dangerous! I'm sure you were very careful but I suspect a good deal of luck was involved too.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet